Yamaha Put a Computer Between Me and the Throttle, and I Can't Feel It

I have owned a Tenere 700 for about a year. Mine is a 2024, the last of the cable-throttle bikes, and I bought that year on purpose. So when Yamaha told me the 2026 went ride-by-wire, I didn't get excited. I got nervous. That throttle is the whole reason I picked the year I did.

Then I rode this one, and I owe Yamaha an apology.

The 2026 Tenere 700 still feels like a Tenere 700, which is the highest compliment I can pay it. It's taller than you think, heavier up top than you want, and the seat is a war crime. But the bones are the same rally-bred ADV that made this bike an icon, and the new tech mostly makes it better. This is a good bike that got a little more civilized without forgetting what it is.

Performance highlights

Let's deal with the elephant first. The ride-by-wire throttle is the headline change, and I came in ready to hate it. I couldn't. Blind, hand on the grip, I genuinely could not tell this apart from the cable setup on my own bike. Yamaha dialed it in so well that the single biggest reason to fear the new model just evaporated. Roll on from low rpm and the CP2 still hits instantly, that little torquey punch that makes this engine such a goon. I bought my T7 for this motor. It's still the best thing here.

It does run out of breath up high. With 72 horsepower hauling 459 pounds, the 40 to 80 pull is a second-gear job and nothing more, and my run got chewed up by traffic and a missed shift anyway. This isn't a fast bike. It's a fun one. There's a difference, and the CP2 lives on the right side of it.

The chassis is where the 2026 quietly pulls ahead of mine. The new fully adjustable KYB suspension runs firmer than my softer setup, which makes it sharper and more composed on pavement, though I'd feel every rock off-road until I dialed it back. The 21-inch front tracks straight and true on the highway. The Brembo brakes are fine. Just fine. Middle of the road, gets the job done, nothing I'd brag about, same as the ones on my bike.

Rider Experience & Tech

Here's the thing about living with this bike. It's tall, and that height will catch people out. I'm 5 foot 10 with a 32-inch inseam and there's no chance I'm flat-footing it. Go sit on one before you buy. At low speed the top-heavy weight wants to tip in on you, and you feel it. Get some speed under you and it disappears, light in the bars and happy to be flicked around like a very large supermoto.

That seat, though. I've eaten baguette bread softer than this thing. If I bought one, a Yamaha comfort seat or an aftermarket unit like my Touratech would be day one, not someday. The little screen blocks almost no wind, and in a gust this bike grabs air like a sail, so plan on a taller windshield.

The cockpit is the real upgrade. Yamaha finally killed the awful scroll wheel, and the new switchgear is so much better for it. The TFT screen looks great, the explore theme especially, even if the menu animations are slow enough to pull your eyes off the road longer than they should. There's USB-C charging, which I abuse on long days. The mode logic is still backwards Yamaha nonsense where the lower number means more power. You'll learn it. You shouldn't have to.

The Chase Score & Final Thoughts

With a Chase Score of 67 out of 100, the 2026 Tenere 700 lands solidly in Good territory. The misses are real. No cruise control and no quickshifter, both held hostage for the World Raid, and a seat that will test your patience and your backside. But everything that made the T7 great is still here, now with sharper suspension, a dash that doesn't make you angry, and a throttle you'll never miss the cable version of.

Buy it if you want a do-anything middleweight ADV with real off-road soul and a hooligan streak. Skip it, or at least lower it and reseat it, if you're short or you mostly tour and can't live without cruise.